Bartlett and Carpathia
by jediknigh5
Summary: Just a short one-shot imagining a hypothetical meeting between president Bartlett and anti-christ Carpathia.


President Bartlett awaited Nicolae Carpathia. A week ago Bartlett had never heard of Carpathia, now he was Secretary General of the United Nations. But such promotions were common in times of crises, the military called them "battlefield commissions," and this was certainly a time of crises. It had been exactly one week since the dissapearences. Hundreds of millions of people, from literally every part of the world, had vanished in the blink of an eye. Among them was president Bartlett's daughter Zoey, her husband Charlie, and their unborn child. Every child had dissapeared, including the unborn ones. As for the adults, it was unclear what they had in common. Some claimed it was the rapture, every true believer in Christ, and those too young to make the decision for themselves, had been taken to Heaven. This theory did not bode well for Josiah Bartlett, it meant he and the others still on Earth would have to experience the worst horrors in human history. Some were even claiming that Carpathia was the anti-christ, but Bartlett had himself been accussed of this by the fringe elements. Now, these two world leaders were meeting for the first time, attempting to reach an agreement on certain things. Finally, Carpathia arrived.

.

Carpathia: Mr president, thank you for seeing me.

Bartlett: Thank you for coming.

Carpathia: I am sorry to hear about your daughter and grandchild.

Bartlett: I appreciate that. Hopefully, they're in a better place. Did you lose anyone?

Carpathia: My mother died years ago. But after the dissapearences I had her body exhumed, and it also dissapeared. I'd like to believe this rapture theory, but we are world leaders. We must do what is best for our people in this world.

Bartlett: Agreed. We should get down to business.

Carpathia: Ofcourse. First of all, you might know that I am attempting to broker a peace agreement between the Israeli government, and the Palestinian leadership. Can I count on your support on that.

Bartlett: Have your people send over a copy of your proposed agreement. I'll look it over, if it's fair to both sides I'll advise the prime minister of Israel to accept.

Carpathia. Good. The United Nations currently controls the Eden formula.

Bartlett: I've seen the results, it can really make barren fields grow an abundance of food.

Carpathia: Yes, but it can't work just anywhere. There are only ten fields in the world where it will work, and big enough to grow the food to make it worth the effort. We control the fields, and we're willing to share the food with all countries who cooperate, including the United States of America.

Bartlett: I have no problem with an alliance working for peace. But my country must remain sovereign, and free.

Carpathia: Ofcourse, we will be a partnership of equals.

Bartlett: Sounds good.

Carpathia: Also, you may have heard some claim that I am the anti-christ.

Bartlett: Yeah, I wouldn't pay any attention to them.

Carpathia: It got me thinking. If someone were to choose to worship this "devil" of christian mythology, would that not be their right in this country?

Bartlett: The first amendment guarantees freedom of religion. Why, are you planning to convert to satanism?

Carpathia: Ofcourse not. So, can I have a guarantee from you that you will not persecute anyone who chooses "devil-worship" in America?

Bartlett: Yes. If you need that in writing, I need one from you. That you will not persecute anyone in United Nations countries who chooses monotheism. That includes christianity, judaism, islam.

Carpathia: That sounds fair.

.

Bartlett and Carpathia worked for several hours on the details of this agreement. Bartlett couldn't help but be a little suspicious. Why had Carpathia insisted on guarantees of religious freedom for satanists? The president had little reason to persecute devil-worshipers, nor did he think that would become a popular religion in the next few years. He assumed people would turn to monotheistic religions in times of trouble, that satanism would become practically non-existant. Ofcourse, Bartlett knew he could be wrong.


End file.
